Cross-stitch bug that all started with Pusheen

It’s been a while since I’ve been excited by a new craft, so I just had to share with you all. For my birthday, my fiancé‘s sister got me this adorable cross-stitch kit. It features the super cute Pusheen cat.

Anything cat related I’m more than happy to receive but I especially like the Pusheen character. Pusheen, Hello Kitty and Simon’s Cat are probably the three cartoony cats that I love the most.

Anyway, when I received this kit I was intrigued. I’ve never done cross-stitch before and to be honest, I knew nothing about it.

Pusheen Cross-stitch kit has given me a new hobby

Once I opened the box I was surprised at how much was packed into it. Inside, I found two tapestry needles, three small squares of aida fabric, a little pink plastic embroidery hoop, four different coloured skeins of embroidery floss and a small book.

The book has three different Pusheen patterns and some basic instructions. The instructions aren’t terrible. However, I still found that I needed to watch a couple of YouTube videos on cross-stitch to fully understand.

Cross-stitch is surprisingly easy

When I first looked at the kit I thought it was going to be really difficult. I was amazed to find out that it’s surprisingly easy and I picked it up really fast. It’s definitely a craft for anyone of any skill level to enjoy. The kit says that it’s suitable for kids too, but I disagree. I disagree purely because the tapestry needles included are super sharp and I pricked myself a few times. I’d say suitable for teenagers and above, unless you can swap out the needle for something a lot more blunt.

If like me, you don’t really know anything about cross-stitch. It’s basically making an image out of thread using small X’s. I don’t know why I thought it was more complicated than that.

Before I knew it, I had stitched all three designs in the book and was well on my way to becoming a cross-stitch addict.

These are my first three. Fortunately you can’t see the back of them. The back is so messy and looks atrocious!

Comments about the kit

I love this kit and I think it’s a great starter kit, especially for the price. However, there are a few things that you will need to be aware of:

The adorable image on the box is sadly not one that is included in the pattern book.

There is plenty of thread, but it would have been nice of them to include more of the main colour as you use it the most. You can easily get 4 designs out of it, maybe 5 if you aren’t an idiot with the thread like me.

They only give you one embroidery hoop (so if you planned to use them as frames you won’t be able to).

Because the kit is miniature, so is the book.. so if you have problems with seeing small print, then this may not work out for you.

If you can forgive those few things, then it’s definitely a great kit! I also love that because of how small the patterns are, you get to see the image come together really fast. It’s a perfect little kit to test the waters and as I can attest, it makes an excellent gift.

I’ve now got the cross-stitch bug!

For my first ever attempts, I think they look pretty good. Of course, I’m sure if someone who has been cross-stitching for a while looked at them then they’d disagree.

I ended up having to buy another beginners kit so I could cross-stitch some more once I’d completed the Pusheen kit.

The next kit I purchased is an Embroidery Starter Kit. It comes with everything you need to carry on with cross-stitch:

5 bamboo hoops (careful as they splinter a little)

2 big sheets of aida fabric – 14 count

50 skeins of embroidery floss

30 embroidery needles

12 floss bobbins

4 needle threading tools

1 thread cutter

1 untwist tool

Basic instructions

Immediately I cut the aida into three small squares so I can redo the Pusheen patterns. I have plans to stitch up a few of them as gifts. I’m now on my sixth design.

Final thoughts

I’m super happy that I’ve found another craft that I can enjoy. It’s so simple and relaxing. I like to sit on the sofa and cross-stitch while I watch TV. It’s an easy craft to pick up and put down whenever and there is no real learning curve.

I love that it’s really inexpensive as well, once you have the basic materials, it’s not that costly for a hobby. Plus, you can make fun gifts for people too.

I am finding it very rewarding so far and I hope to continue on with it and hopefully branch out into other patterns beside Pusheen soon.

What do you think of these kits? Have you ever cross-stitched before or would you consider giving it a go? Do you do anything crafty? Let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you guys! ♥